The Line
by Avalonicous
Summary: Ezreal lives his life by his own code, no matter the cost. Lux has never questioned her place, but yearns for something more. Circumstances pit them together against a force that could tear Runeterra apart.


"You can't run forever!"

The guard's breath became labored as he struggled to keep the blonde haired youth in sight. "Watch me!" Ezreal shouted over his shoulder as he vaulted over the cobblestone railing.

He landed with a splash in a muddy puddle, and ducked underneath the bridge. Thunder boomed in the distance and Ezreal wiped the hair plastered to his forehead out of his eyes. The rain was a nice change of pace from the hot Demacian summer, but of course it had to come the one day that he was trying to smuggle papers across town.

He shuffled the papers out from underneath his jacket and checked to make sure the ink hadn't soaked through. The papers didn't have a drop of water on them, just like his undershirt.

_I love this jacket._

Ezreal folded them back in his pocket and peered out from the underpass, hoping for a respite.

The thunder boomed in response.

He sighed. Sometimes it felt like the world was conspiring to thwart him.

Ezreal leapt from rain cover directly in front of a guard who was leaning over the railing.

"I found him! Near the underpass!" The man shouted into the downpour.

_Could this get any worse? _

The youth misjudged the depth of a puddle and his boot squelched up to his ankle in mud, and stuck.

Three more guards joined the first at the railing.

_Mundo is going to owe me for this._

* * *

The rain pounded on the roof of the nearly emptied bar. Carf, the bartender, an older balding man with a grey moustache and beard finished wiping the last dirty mug on his apron and set it down at the end of a long line of glasses.

He let out a breath of satisfaction, and glanced around the bar. The only patron was a Mundo, the huge man keeping to himself in the corner.

Mundo was easily eight feet tall, barely able to fit his buttocks on the chair he sat on. His skin was darkly tan and frequented with bruises, he was also composed of entirely bulky muscle, most visible on his arms which were bare. He wore an overcoat that had the sleeves ripped off, pants that might have been orange at some point but were now a murky brown and no shoes covered his hairy feet. Mundo had an air of tension to him- rocking back and forth on his seat, glancing around every few seconds and he was muttering to himself.

Carf shrugged and began cleaning the first mug again. Ezreal had convinced him to harbor Mundo for the afternoon.

_ The man is a simpleton and you're in no danger unless you provoke him_, Ezreal had said, _no matter what the heralds say_.

If it was anyone else, Carf would have turned him in as soon as he laid eyes on the fugitive. He would be happy when the giant was gone, Carf decided. Favors are one thing, but having to close up shop because of the stench is another. He just hoped that the smell didn't leak into the rooms upstairs.

Ezreal shoved the door open, and plodded to the corner where Mundo sat. The bartender eyed the trail of filth the youth tracked in and sniffed disapprovingly.

Mundo stood up so fast his chair fell over.

"Ezreal bring papers?", He grunted, his bulky shoulders quivering.

"Course." Ezreal unfolded the papers on the table in front of Mundo. The giant visibly relaxed.

"Ezreal bring am-nasty?"

"Amnesty", Ezreal corrected. "Do you know what these are?" He lined up all five pages side by side.

"Forgiveness", Mundo grunted solemnly.

"Not quite. These pages declare a man completely innocent of all crimes committed in the Court of the Grand City of Demacia. All current convictions will be declared null and void, any lawyers or protection agencies will be paid for by the State and all transportation shall be open to the man should he desire them. Any family members will be notified of the man's release, and should they choose to take the man into their custody their transportation and other expenses will also be covered by the state.", Ezreal glanced up expectantly.

Mundo raised a thick eyebrow.

Ezreal sighed. "This means you have complete freedom. Whatever happened before, your actions and their consequences, it doesn't matter. As long as you have these papers, you answer to no one. The only person in charge of what happens next - is you."

Mundo's face broke out in a huge smile, and Ezreal tried not to grimace. He could see Mundo's tongue where some of his teeth was missing. The giant snatched up the papers in one hand, crinkling them in his large fingers. With his other, he reached in his pocket and pulled out a heavy looking sack. The sound of gold clinked as he dropped it in Ezreal's arms.

"Mundo thank you", he said.

"What's this?", Ezreal grunted.

"All money Mundo make in Demacia. Mundo paid handsomely."

"That's... you don't have to..."

"Mundo choose to."

Ezreal gave a lopsided grin. "What's your plan, big guy?"

"Mundo leave big city. Find another place to settle. Start over from there."

The boy followed Mundo to the door. He had to hold the sack with both arms. "Good plan. Now, remember what we talked about - the barge docks at the station a block down and two blocks East from here. The rain should mask your height as long as you hunch over and stick to alley-"

The giant grunted. "Mundo never forget anything." He stepped out into the rain and took a deep, satisfied breath. "Mundo thank Ezreal for new opportunities."

Ezreal waved him away. "Just be sure to take 'em."

The giant faded into the gloom, framed by a flash of thunder. "Mundo will."

Ezreal went back inside to find the bartender cleaning his mugs diligently.

"I'm going to my room Carf, thanks for the help."

Carf didn't look up, didn't even move until Ezreal started up the stairs.

"Why?", the older man rumbled.

Ezreal paused.

"You know what he did."

"I heard, yeah."

The silence was broken by the squeaking of Carf's apron against the glass.

"They were having a parade." Ezreal said quietly, little more than a whisper.

Carf put the glass on the counter.

"The whole city was watching. It was some kind of annual celebration. One of the floats... had prison inmates in chains. There were kids in costumes handing out rotten fruit you could throw at them. Some people threw rocks. That's where I saw him."

Ezreal turned to the door. The rain didn't let up.

"He was bound, wrists to ankles and the only skin that wasn't covered in muck was bruised. But his eyes... he accepted it. All of it. The humiliation, the pain. He knew that this was the only time he got to see the world outside of a cell and he would be subject to THAT... and he accepted it. He wasn't even trying to fight."

"Maybe he deserved it."

"Maybe he did. But not anymore. Now he has a chance. A chance to change."

Carf shook his head.

"What if he uses this chance to kill again? What if he does more of his experiments on innocents?", The older man rumbled.

"And what if he doesn't?", Ezreal shot back. "What should I have done, nothing?"

"Sometimes we have to make choices we don't like."

"And sometimes we make choices others don't like."

The thumping of the rain on the roof broke the silence.

"It's an awful risk.", Carf said, so low it was almost a growl..

"The choice is worth the risk. It's better than the fate he had to live with.", Said Ezreal.

Carf stared down the youth.

Ezreal turned away and climbed up the stairs.

The rain poured on.


End file.
